E-3: One VA IT Framework
Implement a One VA information technology framework that supports the integration of information across business lines and
that provides a source of consistent, reliable, accurate, and secure information to veterans and their families, employees,
and stakeholders.
Other Information:
Purpose and Outcomes: To meet VA’s commitments delivering the highest quality health care, timely payment of benefits, and
memorialization in death, VA will have a world-class information technology program. Through business process reengineering
and technology integration, VA will speed-up delivery of benefit payments, improve the quality of health care provided in
our medical centers, and administer a wide variety of programs more efficiently. Strategies and Processes: Information Technology
(IT) Strategic Plan The IT Strategic Plan incorporates three major broad objectives under the umbrella of achieving VA’s strategic
vision for the future: (1) improve our mission performance; (2) tell our story to our customers, stakeholders, and partners;
and (3) develop and educate the VA IT workforce to meet the IT challenges of the future. This plan is veteran-centric and
supports the strategic goals of the Department. The plan is the foundation upon which IT will be applied to support the Department’s
business operations, the Secretary’s priorities, and goals and objectives of each administration. Enterprise Architecture
Enterprise Architecture (EA) represents the guiding principles for streamlining and modernizing VA’s IT. The “enterprise”
is VA and the “architecture” is the complex framework of processes, systems, and programs by which VA provides health care
and benefits to veterans and their families. An essential element of the IT Strategic Plan is an EA based on the Zachman framework
to define the EA. The One VA EA itself is continuing to evolve since VA is implementing EA as a continuous improvement process,
with version 1.0 approved by the Secretary in September 2002 serving as the initial baseline. Finally, version 2.0 will continue
the theme established in version 1.0 of coupling EA to key Departmental processes, namely planning and budgeting, project
execution, and project management oversight. The One VA EA model addresses specific objectives and timetables for implementation.
It identifies several key elements of infrastructure as follows: • Telecommunications Infrastructure (Telecommunications Modernization
Project (TMP)); • Cyber Security Infrastructure (Enterprise Cyber Security Modernization Project (ECSIP) and Authentication
and Authorization Infrastructure (AAI) Project); and • Corporate and Regional Data Processing with Continuity Of Operations
(COOP) (Corporate Data Center Integration (CDCI) Project). Each of these infrastructure elements has one or more key projects
associated with it to implement the corresponding element of the One VA Enterprise Architecture. The One VA EA also identifies
several key projects that support the EA’s distributed applications and data environment model. These are: • One VA Registration
and Eligibility Project; • One VA Contact Management Project; • VistA HealtheVet Health Data Repository (HDR) Project; and
• Core Financial and Logistic System (CoreFLS) Project. Information Security The Office of Cyber Security (OCS) will provide
services to veterans that protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their private information; enable the
timely, uninterrupted, and trusted nature of services VA provides; and provide assurance that costeffective cyber security
controls are in place to protect automated information systems from financial fraud, waste, and abuse. Its objective is to
become a model cyber security program within the Federal Government. The OCS will: • Bring VA into compliance with the Government
Information Security Reform Act of 2000, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and Office of
Management and Budget requirements; • Establish a level of security for all information systems that is commensurate with
the risk and magnitude of harm resulting from the loss, misuse, unauthorized access to, or modification of the information
stored or flowing through these systems; • Integrate security into the One VA EA; • Establish an effective, real-time, and
operational command and control process for operating the cyber security infrastructure; and • Review, develop, and test cyber
security contingency plans VA-wide. The IT Integrated Management Process and IT Project Management Structure Streamlining
business practices and optimizing performance through the effective use of technology, the Office of IT has adopted an integrated
process to manage the IT information technology portfolio. Starting with concept development and continuing through system
production, deployment and total life cycle, this process will provide continuous oversight and evaluation through sound project
management and disciplined milestone reviews. A One VA Telecommunications Network The Telecommunications Modernization Project
(TMP) is intended to evolve from VA’s current state of over 30 loosely federated independent networks to a single, high performance
wide area data network capable of supporting enterprise wide applications and support Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for
performance and reliability at every service delivery node on the network. The TMP was initiated in FY 2002 as a re-baseline
of multiple pre-existing network efforts across the Department and it will: • Optimize the core of the One VA Wide Area Network
(WAN) to support regional service delivery to all VA facilities, and to support Service Level Agreements for every service
delivery point; • Establish a 24-hour Network Coordination Center (NCC) to continuously monitor the health of the network
and resolve service delivery problems; and • Extend service delivery from the optimized core to all VA facilities to complete
the project. *E-Government There are now over 4,294 internal and public use forms and 9 major business lines within VA. Almost
98 percent of VA staff is assigned to provide direct services to veterans and their families in VA field operations. Veteran
services are delivered at 162 VA hospitals, more than 850 community and facility-based outpatient clinics, 57 regional offices,
and 120 national cemeteries. VA expects the use of the Internet, as a primary means for conducting business with VA customers,
will increase significantly, and will facilitate improved information access. A study has been initiated to find a web-enabled
commercial product to support the delivery and management of on-line electronic forms via the Internet and VA’s Intranet.
The strategy to implement the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) requirements include: • Identifying applicable business
transactions; • Analyzing internal business processes that use the information contained in these business transactions; •
Ensuring that business process enhancements that become practicable (or feasible) transactions are converted from paper to
an electronic medium; • Investigating the benefits, costs and risks associated with conducting these business processes electronically;
and • Planning and implementing changes based on the results of previous activities. The principal GPEA implementation goal
is to transform VA paper-based information collections into electronic information collections. In setting our priorities,
VA’s focus is on information collections that directly affect veteran care, those that have the greatest impact on veterans
(in terms of greatest service to veterans), and those information collections affecting important organizational or institutional
constituencies such as VSOs and educational institutions. Information Technology VA will use an integrated framework to continue
aligning VA’s IT investments with its business lines: • The IT Strategic Plan will be revised annually to provide the overarching
strategy and priorities to guide the capital, budget, operation, and tactical planning for IT; • The Enterprise Information
Board reviews IT capital investment proposals and the IT investment portfolio package, ensuring IT investments are made from
a corporate perspective. Collaboration with DoD VA and DoD will develop an interoperable information technology framework
and architecture that will enable the efficient, effective, and secure interchange of records and information to support the
delivery of benefits and services. The emphasis will be on working together to reduce redundant applications and procedures
and make access to services and benefits easier and faster. Other Strategies In FY 2003, The Office of Information and Technology
(OIT) will: • Establish metrics to measure IT performance to ensure that IT assets and investments improve program performance
and facilitate strategic goals; • Support VA’s senior leadership in performing their duties and responsibilities during normal
operations and emergency situations; • Provide command and control of VA IT assets during emergency situations to ensure continuation
of mission-critical and mission-essential operations; • Ensure that OIT can provide its missioncritical and mission-essential
responsibilities during and after an emergency situation. The Corporate Data Center Integration (CDCI) Project will significantly
improve recovery time from a systems outage; and • Reduce potential loss of data for mission-critical and essential systems
by providing electronic data vaulting and applications restart capability across the three locations. The current 72 hours
will be shortened to 12 hours or less for mission-critical systems.
Indicator(s):
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